So i've decided to build a coop

[Gridguru]

Only did little things today, mostly to make assembly as easy as possible.

I cut the tar paper to length for the roof. I also went ahead and drilled the pilot holes for the roof plywood. That way i don't have to try to figure out exactly where the rafters are while i'm clinging precariously to the roof.




I also made some supports that i'll add to the bottom of the coop base so that my siding sits flush with the base while i nail it in place.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Good idea to predrill the holes and to add the cleats to help hold that siding up. It can be rather unwieldy when trying to hold the siding, grab the screw or nail gun AND keep things lined up.

My coop is not perfect by any means but the gals don't seem to mind.

Sometimes my helper gets a little overzealous and tries to move faster then we should. It works out most of the time or I go back and tweak things.

The greenhouse I am doing ALONE. I do not want to be cleaning up broken glass and looking for replacements.

 

[Gridguru]

So as i mentioned, my wife didn't want the part of the feeder that will be outside of the coop to be bright white and wanted me to try to make it look like wood. Here's the final results.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Nice paint job.

 

[Blooie]

Thank you!

I'll be honest, my glazing job wasn't all that excellent. I figured it's an old barn window, so not looking perfect, is part of the charm. ;-) That said, i'll be happy to pass along any glazing tips i did come up with.

Next weekend i'll do the footers in the yard. Then the weekend after that is Spring Break, so we'll be traveling. The following week we'll get the chickens, so i'll have to get the coop out of the garage and into the yard to make room for the brooder. Very excited to get it assembled.

I see you live in the Dallas area. You don't have the extreme cold that we have here, but even here in Northern Wyoming I brood my chicks outdoors in the run. Our run is covered with plastic so it gets a lot of light and the chicks I've raised this way - three batches now - have simply thrived. The biggest advantage is that they don't have any "adjustment" time, going from the indoor brooder to an environment that is cooler, dark at night, and more natural than a box with a heat lamp suspended above it. Here is an article on raising chicks outdoors.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hey I like my heat lamp. A garage is a great place to brood chicks.

 

[Gridguru]

Nice paint job.

Thanks. It's actually wood stain. I used a file to scratch up the PVC really well, then put on a few coats of stain.

 

[Blooie]

Hey I like my heat lamp. A garage is a great place to brood chicks.

Absolutely, OHLD! And lots of other people love it and do very well with it, too! I was just trying to point out that there are alternatives out there, and living in Dallas the OP has the perfect spring time climate to brood directly out in the coop and save a step or two.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

  Absolutely, OHLD!  And lots of other people love it and do very well with it, too!  I was just trying to point out that there are alternatives out there, and living in Dallas the OP has the perfect spring time climate to brood directly out in the coop and save a step or two.

Glad to hear you're okay.

 

[Blooie]

Thank you, my friend! It's nice to be back home and getting better!